Due to a landmark deal between owners and government officials, displaced victims of Hurricane Sandy will be given priority for approximately 2,500 vacant apartments throughout the five boroughs. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 96,000 households in the region are eligible for housing aid.

The owners, city, state, and federal officials have been negotiating this deal for approximately a month. And while some details haven't been finalized, but officials said they decided to move forward this week to begin alleviating an increasingly urgent housing problem. One concern was the legality of short-term leases, but many owners said they will offer the required 12-month lease with a rider that lets victims break the lease with no penalties. Others will be working with housing group Common Ground, which will lease the units directly, then sublease them to tenants for shorter terms.